[25] Majrā giriftam seems rather to mean here ‘adjusted the tripod,’ for from what follows it appears that the gun was not then loaded. The Iqbāl-nāma, p. 47, has māsha rā zīr kard, ‘applied the match’(?). [↑]
[26] Apparently the meaning is that he rolled the tiger over to the side furthest from Jahāngīr. [↑]
[27] Kūragī. The Iqbāl-nāma, p. 48, says the night was dark, and so the lamplighter blindly (az kūragī) fell upon the tiger and was killed. This tiger hunt and Jahāngīr’s danger, etc., are described by William Finch (Purchas, i, 430). [↑]
[28] Anīkini means an army in Sanskrit and Rai is a title meaning leadership. [↑]
[29] Text, Zangchiyān (?). I.O. 181 has Ibachkiyān, i.e. people of the Ibachkī-k͟hāna or closet. See Āyīn, Persian text, i, 42, and Blochmann, i, 46. [↑]
[30] This is said ironically. [↑]
[31] The text has 14th night, but I follow the I.O. MS. 181. [↑]
The Sixth New Year’s Feast after my auspicious Accession.
Two gharis and forty seconds of day had passed on the Monday when the sun (lit. his honour the greatest star) entered his tower of honour, which is in the constellation of Aries. That day was the 1st Farwardīn, corresponding with the 6th Muḥarram[1] (21st March, 1611). The feast of the New Year having been prepared, I seated myself on the throne of good fortune. The Amirs and all the servants of the Court enjoyed the good fortune of waiting on me and gave their congratulations. The offerings of the servants of the Court Mīrān Ṣadr Jahān, ʿAbdu-llah K͟hān Fīrūz-jang, and Jahāngīr Qulī K͟hān, were laid before me. On Wednesday, the 8th Muḥarram, the offering of Rāja Kalyān, who had sent it from Bengal, was laid before me. On Thursday, the 9th of the same month, S͟hajāʿat K͟hān and some of the mansabdars, who had come on summons from the Deccan, waited on me. I gave a jewelled waist-dagger to Razzāq-wirdī Ūzbeg. On the same day the New Year’s offering of Murtazā K͟hān was laid before me. He had prepared all kinds of things. Having inspected all these, I took what I approved in the shape of valuable jewels, fine cloths, elephants, and horses and gave back the rest. I presented a jewelled dagger to Abū-l-fatḥ Dakhanī, 3,000 rupees to Mīr ʿAbdu-llah, and an Iraq horse to Muqīm K͟hān. I increased the rank of S͟hajāʿat K͟hān, which was 1,500 personal and 100 horse, by 500 personal and horse. I had summoned him from the Deccan for the purpose of sending him to Bengal to Islām K͟hān, in reality to take his place permanently, and I entrusted him with the charge of that Subah. K͟hwāja Abū-l-ḥasan laid before me (as offerings) two rubies, one royal pearl, and ten rings. I gave Īraj, the son of K͟hānk͟hānān, a jewelled dagger. The rank of K͟hurram was 8,000 personal and 5,000 horse; I increased his personal allowance by 2,000, and increased that of K͟hwāja Jahān, which was 1,500 personal, 1,000 horse by 500 personal, 200 horse. On 24th Muḥarram, 18th Farwardīn, the day of the ascendant, Yādgār ʿAlī Sult̤ān, ambassador of S͟hāh ʿAbbās, ruler of Persia, who had come on a visit of condolence on the death of the late king and with congratulations on my accession, had the honour of waiting on me, and laid before me the gifts S͟hāh ʿAbbās, my brother, had sent. He had brought good horses, cloth stuffs, and every kind of fitting present. After he had presented the gifts, on the same day I gave him a superb robe of honour and 30,000 rupees, which were equivalent to 1,000 Persian tumans. He handed me a letter in which were mingled congratulations and condolences for the death of my revered father. As in the letter of congratulation he expressed the greatest friendship, and omitted no point of regard and concord, it has pleased me to enter here an exact copy of it.